Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Personal Style, Defined: Haven and Home

I am so thrilled to share this installment of Personal Style, Defined with you. Marianne, of Haven and Home is a very talented designer with a great eye and a huge heart that comes through in her work. She's a total sweetheart and is super stylish to boot. I love that she considers her style "Edited Eclectic" as I can totally relate. Enjoy!

First I would like to thank Paloma for asking me to be part of this series. To be involved in a series that has included such wonderful bloggers is beyond flattering. La Dolce Vita is one of the first blogs I started reading and I am thrilled to be a part of it.

Okay, now to matter at hand, defining my personal style. I am a Decorator, this should be easy right? Well, just like several people before me have mentioned, it is almost impossible because I love certain elements about all styles across the board. I guess I would define it as Edited Eclectic. I like when rooms have many layers but are thoughtfully put together.

Two things I know are part of my personal style for sure are the color Grey and soothing neutral rooms with raw materials and beautiful fabrics. There are definitely strong Belgium and Swedish influences in my style. Barbara Westbrook and Kay Douglass could come design my house any day.

I have used the room above before when trying to define my style. I chose it for the natural elements, the jute rug, raw wood on the furniture, clean crisp linen upholstery, and dark curtains that add to the room without feeling stuffy.

My style is definitely more on the casual side, I want my spaces to feel warm and inviting. Although I don't mind formality as long as there are some casual elements added in. Below is a nursery I consider formal but it is not over the top so it retains that inviting feel.

I love walking into a room and finding something unexpected which brings me to another element I love in rooms-stripes! I can't tell you how many times I have used them, I love the special feel they give to rooms.

There are days where I dream of having an all white house-clean, crisp, light and airy (although I think this comes from looking at color all day)...

Here are two rooms with similar components yet they are completely opposite. I love them both equally. Can you see why I get confused when trying to define my style? One common denominator these two spaces have? They are both well edited which I think is important.

While I like neutral and calm like the first few pictures I can't resist bold statement making rooms either. I have never, ever met a geometric touch that I didn't love...

Which reminds me that a pretty geometric patterned fabric is always the first one I am compelled to pull for myself or a client.

This piece definitely defines my style. Bleached wood? Check. Pretty, not standard hardware? Check. Amazing carving that isn't too ornate? Check. Okay I will take it! Now where to find an extra $1,350.....

I digress. When looking through pictures for this post I saw so many genres that I loved that really Eclectic is the best word I came up with to define me. Edited Eclectic embodies my preference for spaces to be casual and inviting but also look like thought went into them without being "done".